February 2014 Moral March On Raleigh 70

Saturday, February 8, 2014, Shaw Univesity, Raleigh North Carolina. Under cold grey skies a broad, diverse coalition of around 35,000* social justice activists mobilized by the Moral Monday Movement rallied in downtown Raleigh. After gathering at Shaw University and marching to the front of the North Carolina State Capitol they were addressed by a number of speakers including the fiery Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II. A range of related Issues raised by the demonstrators and speakers included voting suppression and civil rights, racism, the impoverishment and corporate hijacking of the education system, poverty and the minimum wage, labor rights, LGBT rights, reproductive rights, immigration reform, access to healthcare for all and environmental justice. This watershed day in the evolution of the US civil rights movement was largely ignored by the corporate media. Thumbs up to the Raleigh Police Department for their civilized and respectful presence at the event. There were no arrests. The Raleigh officers wore dignified uniforms with cloth hats, not the ostentatious and threatening gear we're used to seeing on the overarmed militarized police in our hometown of Washington DC.

*My crowd estimates are usually very conservative; other commentators claim 80,000-100,000.